Such Close Proximity
by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: A conversation in the galley has Sara wondering if she and Len were too close. Of course, he answers. #CCweek2018 with prompt: Pre-Relationship


When Sara woke up this morning, she wanted to eat her breakfast and wait for Rip to come up with another way to say they were screw ups; it was a 'free' day, so of course he'd spend his time doing that. She did not expect the amused glances and awkward coughs that came along with it.

"All right," she said. "Out with it."

"What?" Jax asked innocently, or at least he attempted to sound innocent. He was sitting next to Ray, since Stein was probably in his room or the study with a book or something. Kendra was on the other side of Ray, arms folded with an amused smile that hadn't left her face.

"You're not exactly looking like a choir boy," Len pointed, who was sitting right next to Sara out.

She nodded, folding her arms. "Right. So, if I don't get an answer to why you're looking at me and having coughing fits, it's not going to be pretty."

"She hasn't eaten either," Len added, "so that'll make it worse."

Sara shot him a mock-offended look. "Love the way you think of me," she said sarcastically.

"I know you do, Assassin," the crook shot back with a cheeky smile. There was a shine in Len's eyes that Sara found adorable in a mischievous sort of way; not that she'd actually admit that to him out loud or anything.

Both heads whipped over to the coughing fit occurring across the table. Kendra was leaning on Ray's shoulders while Jax was covering his mouth once eyes were on them once again.

"Did you two finally get together?" came Mick's voice, walking into the space with a beer in his hand. He glanced over at Sara and Len before plopping down beside Jax.

At his statement, Sara could practically feel the tension that rose in Len's body whereas she could have spat out her drink if she were drinking anything, so she was choking on air instead.

"What are you talking about, Mick?" Len drawled, his tone lower than usual. Sara must have been the only one to catch the subtle tone change because no one else said anything or reacted to it.

"You're sitting kinda close there, ain't you?"

Sara shifted her gaze towards Len, and once she realized the actual proximity she was with Len, she tilted her head. Their bodies were so close to one another; it would explain why she could feel him tense. Damn. And he didn't even say anything.

"Huh," she said simply.

Jax slapped his hands in his lap. "That's really all you have to say? Just 'huh?"

Ray shook his head in disappointment. "Even _I_ can see this," he said.

"That's because I spent all night explaining it to you, Ray," Kendra remarked, patting his shoulder. A faint blush graced Ray's cheeks as he laughed sheepishly.

Sara rolled her eyes. Poor saps. "Anyway. Len and I," she said, gesturing with her finger between Len and herself, "are _not_ together."

"We are not," Leonard agreed in his typical drawl , leaning back in his chair. "Sara and I just happened to sit close to one another." He raised a finger. "And let's not forget she came in way after I'd been sitting down."

" _Exactly_ ," Jax pressed. "It's just natural for you guys!"

"Meaning _naturally_ you should just be together," Ray added. "If Professor Stein was in here, he'd say it's—"

"Astonishing," Jax interrupted.

"Stupid," Mick remarked at the same time, nursing his beer.

Leonard stood up. "I'd rather listen to Rip gripe," he muttered before walking away.

Sara looked from his retreating form to the group in the Galley. "Now I don't have an appetite." She started to walk away herself, but now her mind was plagued with denying that there was no reason for her and Len to be a couple; except everything was doing the opposite.

Time for the denial to bleed through her veins.

With the four still in the kitchen area, Jax and Ray shared a look.

"We've got ourselves a ship, lady and gents," Ray stated.

"Aren't we in a ship?" Mick asked.

Jax gave him a 'really?' look before shaking his head. "Now the question is how to make them realize it."

"You two have fun with that," Kendra said standing up and kissing Ray's cheek. "I'm only going to tease some more before I'm shot with the Cold Gun or killed by an assassin. Have fun." She left the Galley herself.

"When she puts it like that…" Jax trailer off, "makes it kind of dangerous."

Ray shrugged. "Wouldn't be the worst thing we've done so far."

Mick hummed in thought. "I'd pay to see you get your butts handed to ya."

Suddenly, a shuriken flew in the room, hitting the wall within the blink of an eye. If anyone examined it closely, they'd see the lines of frost at the sharpened tip. The males in the room paused and blinked.

"Good, I wanted front row seats," Mick added with a smirk, drinking from his beer bottle as Ray and Jax scrambled out of their seats.

The sounds of Jax and Ray arguing about who should be hurt more, Gideon running diagnostics from the minimal shuriken damage, Stein demanding what was going on from the Med Bay, Rip scolding them about their behavior, and Sara laughing in the hallway filled the ship.

* * *

Later in the evening, Sara approached Leonard when he was lounging against one of the crates in the Cargo Bay. He was shuffling the deck of cards in his lap.

"Trying to lose in another game, Assassin?" he drawled, not looking up at her.

Sara wasn't surprised that he knew it was her. Instead, she stood in front of him, making it clear she wasn't going to sit down yet.

"Do you believe what they said?" she asked, deciding not to beat around the bush.

Leonard stopped shuffling the cards, setting them down beside him and meeting her eyes. "Do I believe _what_?" he replied.

She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. He knew what she was talking about. She could tell because of the way the corner of his lip twitched with amusement.

"Answer the question."

Leonard stood up, nearly closing the space between them. She could feel the heat radiating from his body as he looked down at her.

"No, I don't believe what they said," he told her. "We weren't sitting too close."

Sara wasn't sure what her mind wanted to do: allow her secret hope to deflate or celebrate the denial running in her veins proudly.

"We were sitting exactly where we needed to."

Her eyes blinked twice at his statement. She opened her mouth to question him, but he'd already moved to sit back down.

"Are you going to lose in this game or not?" Leonard asked, challenging her with a brow quirked.

Sara could feel her hands clenching at her sides. She didn't know how to take his statement.

Correction. She didn't know which way she wanted to take his statement. All she knew was that it would have to go in one way or the other; but for the night, it was going to go in both.

Silently with a small glare, Sara sat across from him as he smirked and began to deal the cards. Everything was finally beginning to settle in her mind when Len opened his mouth again.

"It's a shame that you're so _close_ to winning but won't."

She could kill him.

* * *

Written for Captain Canary Week! #CCweek2018 with today's prompt: Pre-Relationship

Word Count: 1,251


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